Lawsuit: $15B Wisconsin data center lacks required environmental review
The Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit in Wisconsin court to challenge the approval of the $15 billion Lighthouse data center project in Port Washington. The lawsuit alleges that state regulators issued a construction permit without conducting a rigorous environmental impact statement, despite internal concerns that such a review would halt the project. This legal action highlights broader public backlash against the resource demands of data centers, including water use, power consumption, and planet-warming emissions.
The Sierra Club has initiated legal action in a Wisconsin court, seeking to overturn the approval of the extensive $15 billion Lighthouse hyperscale data center project located near Lake Michigan in Port Washington.
Filed on a Friday, the lawsuit specifically targets the decision made by Wisconsin state regulators to grant a construction permit for the facility without undertaking a comprehensive environmental impact statement, which is considered the most stringent form of risk analysis. This legal challenge underscores a growing national concern regarding the substantial resource requirements of rapidly expanding data centers, particularly concerning water usage, electricity consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Sierra Club's decision to pursue litigation was prompted by emails obtained through public records requests. These communications reportedly reveal that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources initially planned to conduct an environmental impact statement but reversed course following objections from the project's developers, who expressed concerns that such a review would effectively 'kill the project'.